Most regard Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as a pillar of the mixed martial arts world and one of the five greatest heavyweights of all-time.
“Minotauro” made his professional debut in 1999, won 19 of his first 21 fights -- a split decision loss to Dan Henderson and a draw with Tsuyoshi Kosaka were the only blips on the radar -- and captured the inaugural Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight title. Nogueira went on to fight a majority of his contemporaries, and though he arrived in the Ultimate Fighting Championship well past his prime, he nevertheless had an impact: He earned “Fight of the Night” bonuses in wins over Tim Sylvia and Randy Couture, a “Knockout of the Night” bonus against Brendan Schaub and a “Submission of the Night” bonus against Dave Herman.